Time To Catch Up

No, I didn't take time off to catch up.  Heavens, I don't think I will ever feel caught up.  No, I think I need to do a quick catch up on the blog.  And, because I am about chronology, I will try to put things in order.  Mostly pictures which are harder now, as my nice camera officially broke. Very very sad day.

• Lucy is up first, and she began a new adventure: Atrium!  One day a week, and this girl has loved every minute of it.  Don't call it school, just call it Atrium.  My sister teaches the older grades and has poked her head in to watch (Lucy says, "Aunt Jenn sat in the chair and did not talk") and says Lucy has great concentration.  My most favorite thing of all is hearing that sweet voice sing all the songs. 
  
• Tommy turned the big 4-0 in October, and I will do a blog post about that. :)
• Lucy turned 4!  We went all out with her love of unicorns, and I made her a special cake.  I think she liked it.  
  
  
  
  
• Halloween was fun with friends and good creative costumes.  As the kids get older, we have found that going out trick-or-treating is more fun in a group and Emma has found the sweetest girls and we are more than happy when she is able to have some outings with them.  Lucy spent the whole day in her costume.
  
   Emma is Cordelia Biddle from the movie "The Happiest Millionaire", William is a Pokémon trainer, James is Harry Potter, and Lucy is Violet from "The Incredibles."  
• Patrick had his first Homecoming/Enthronement Dance.  He went stag, though he had tried to ask a young lady, but it didn't work out.
  
  
  
  
• James  lost a front tooth!  Even pulled it himself.                                                                          
• Our family celebrated Thanksgiving at our home with all the locals on the Gregory side.    I was so happy we could accommodate Joe and his wheels, and everyone else.  :)       
  
• William is officially an altar server, and had been doing an amazing job.  It is a joy to see all the boys serving together some days.
  
•  December brings Saint Nicholas cookie making.  I need to remember to double to batch next year.  I never make enough for all of us to enjoy.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Our family went into DC for a very cold, and muddy ALS walk for my brother and his family.  It was a very different feel this year, as you see the progression of the disease.  It was a joy to see all the love and support of Joe and his family.  Please keep praying for him! 
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My Blogging Brother

 

My brother Joe has started a blog to help us as we follow his journey.  He's had some exciting news!

Thank you for the prayers.  God is good.  All the time.

ALS Walk in DC

We attended the ALS walk in DC with Joe and many of his coworkers.  It was so awesome to see how many people Joe has touched in his life, and the many coworkers and friends who came out to support Joe and his family.

Joe knows what he’s facing, and fighting. And all with joy.  He has always  been one to give joy to those around him; and true to form, he wants to make this, too, a journey of joy.  As he says, each day is a blessing, and the love and support that he has received from family and friends has convinced him that he is the luckiest man on the face of this earth!

 

Your prayers and financial support will help lighten this load for Joe, Melanie, and their four beautiful children.

 

It's Hard to Know Where to Start

When you have taken a "blogging break" albeit unintended, but nonetheless, a break.  Life happened a lot this summer, but not quite in the ways that I thought it would.  I struggle to come back to the blog, as there are a few "events" that I *gasp* didn't blog about, and I hate to make those kids feel unloved.  I am all about chronology, and putting things in the way they happened, so sometimes blogging for me is tough.  But, I need an outlet.  And, my dear readers, all 5 of you, don't have to come along, but I am happy to have you.

Our families have had some issues that has changed quite a lot of what we are focused on, and I guess that when it came to blogging, it took a very far back seat.  My mother-in-law has had such a hard time with back pain that she decided to have back surgery.  Her recovery has been slower than we hoped, and it is such a stress to see her in pain, and struggle to walk.  The surgery went well, and she is finally without her walker or cane, but it is still a while before she will be fully recovered.  She has an incentive to keep going, as she has all her children in the same country this year, and wants to make a road trip to visit them.

My mother decided to have a full knee replacement in June.  That was a tough surgery, complicated with some infections in the skin, but it went very well.  We are so impressed with how well she is walking!  And, mom knows she will need to do the other one at a later date, and will feel more herself when she can walk.  We are so blessed that our family is close, as we all rallied to help after her surgery.  My sisters My sisters were amazing nurses.  My dad had to work, as he is his own boss, so the big sisters kept the pain pills, therapy, meals, and running of the household, as well as their own homes, running so smoothly. We also were able to have all the family together to see her, which is the best therapy around for my mom. 

But the biggest reason for the quietness here, is my younger brother.  Around the end of school, the Best Gregory of all, was diagnosed with ALS, or Lou Gerhig's disease.  It was a long time of testing until it was official, and we were hoping and praying that it was not.  But this has made our family all feel the need to come close, to be here, to see him, to try not to wear him out too much, but to pray and be here.  With all those feelings, we have had visits from the out of town families.  Joe is such an example of how love and suffering go together.  He has always touched lives, even as a little guy, and everyone wants to pray for him.  The grace and acceptance with which he has had with this diagnosis has been so beautiful.  Please pray for him and his family.  It has been quite a lot to process, and the kids seem to ask me if I am crying all the time, because I am. 

But, before any of this happened, our family had already made plans to celebrate an extremely special lady. My mom turns 70 this year (we also have 50 and 40 in our family).  We decided to do a party at my house, and it was another occasion where we could be together.  We were missing some cousins and in-laws, but all 7 kids again!  Longtime friends and family came, and everyone had a wonderful time.  I was a bit stressed out to plan the party, but my wonderful friend Lucia catered, and it was delicious.  The whole family pitched in to help make the day wonderful, with decorations, seating, a slide show, a special cheesecake (who knew that was my mom's favorite?), music, a punch that will knock the bad mood out of anyone, especially Sherman, and support for me each time I called in a panic. 

 

The best joy for me, was that my brother and 3 of his girls came to stay with us.  My kids were so happy to have them, and it filled my heart so much to hear them all together.  One of the girls actually brought a special toy from Vermont for Lucy to play with, as they remembered that she loved it during our visit.  And they left it here for her to have.  What sweetness!

 



 

We also had some birthdays, and a VERY long scout camping trip, as well as a family funeral.  It was a very full summer.  But not the kind that most think of when you say "we were busy." 

 

 

Friends: if you would like to join us in praying for the intercession of Fr. Al Schwartz for my brother, we would appreciate it!